Cape Wickham, King Island, Australia

[Josh Stevens]

Oops raw nerve.   
the county's leading magazine thinks that The Australian is the 12th best course in the land - speaking of new and shiny objects

[James Bennett]

Why the smiley face Josh? Do you think the discussion has been humorous?

[Josh Stevens]

Apparently not.

[Terry Thornton]

Apparently not.

 Josh, I'm confused, were you trying to be humorous?
Like yourself, I've not been to Cape Wickham, however I respect the opinion of a few friends that have been and trust they're able to look well beyond the coastal location factor when espousing their views on the merit of the courses on King island.
You may well be correct regarding the viability of Cape Wickham beyond the 5 year time frame, however I suspect that viability will have little to do with its architectural merit.

[Josh Stevens]

Lets try that again and stick to the facts.

 Its a new course and it has lovely views.

So now lets cast our minds back say 30 years and see if we can recall a few dozen examples of a shiny new course with nice views and lots of marketing hype, opening to rave reviews from all sorts of people that we trusted.  And then some years later had sunk without trace making us wonder what all the fuss was about.

So far CW seems to be holding up well, the reviews do seem to be more measured and considered than we have seen previously, but the industry has form in this regard.

So what I'm saying is lets wait a bit until the novelty has worn off before anointing this as the second coming.

[Jud_T]

Josh,

Have you ever played a Mike DeVries course?  I'm guessing not based on your replies.  It's the combination of a really good up and coming GCA with what numerous well respected folks say was a phenomenal raw site that has the smart money excited.  The pretty water views are simply icing on the cake.  This is comparable to the guys who were whining that a local GCA wasn't given the job without knowing anything about the guy who was.  I agree that courses can get overrated as some folks are inevitably more interested with pretty than fun on sites like this, but I wouldn't bet against this project if I were you. 

[Thomas Dai]

There are some 'before' and 'after' photos on the CW website. Nice imaginative task to look at what was there before and then try to envisage the thought process to place the resulting hole in that same location.


See - http://capewickham.com.au


From the website and satmaps (see link below) there looks to be a significant area of sand dunes etc just inland of the course. Makes me wonder about possible further developments.


There is also a terrific looking 9-hole course in the main King Island town of Currie - the wonderful looking (see website photos) King Island Golf and Bowling Club - http://www.golfkingisland.com - and possible further one (bunkerless) at Grassy - https://www.google.com/maps/@-39.866117,144.0033591,10z/data=!3m1!1e3


Plus there's Ocean Dunes - http://www.oceandunes.com.au - anyone know about the status of this development?


Wow, what a place to visit!


Atb

[Terry Thornton]

Plus there's Ocean Dunes - http://www.oceandunes.com.au - anyone know about the status of this development?

I believe they have 15 holes open, remainder by September

[David_Elvins]

So what I'm saying is lets wait a bit until the novelty has worn off before anointing this as the second coming.

I played the course and really liked it.  Why should I wait until the novelty has worn off before saying so?

[John Mayhugh]

Matthew,
Thanks much for the tour.  Sorry not to get around to posting before now.  Pictures look pretty good from a phone, and I think you used the right amount of them and text to give me the best impression of the course thus far.  I was hoping to get a chance to see it this year, but maybe 2017 will work.  Unlike Josh, I see a lot there to entice me to visit. 

Mike,
Is there as much tilt front to back on the 14th green as appears in the photo? The course looks terrific.

Josh,
While I can understand your skepticism about the "new shiny" thing, guys like Matthew are very familiar with what a good course looks like, and I don't see them being excessively "wowed" by visuals alone.  Like any of us, you're entitled to your own opinion.  Posting things like "Let's see how it is faring 5 years from now - if it hasn't gone bust by then," seem more mean-spirited than anything else.  It's hard to understand the negativity.

[James Bennett]

John Mayhugh

14 green is like a sunken bathtub.

James B

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Wow, what un needed controversy.
This golf course is NOT a novelty and its critical acclaim IS NOT one that will disperse with time.
I can assure anybody who has not had the pleasure of seeing this course yet, that this is not one of those wonders that will disappear from current high status on ranking lists.
This is of the caliber of Sand Hills, Ballyneal, Barnbougle, Pac Dunes and their respective praise when they appeared on the scene, and making any other assumptions , especially from one without being there, is somewhat of  an insult to those who worked so hard to get this project completed.
IF one truly has that opinion, again sight unseen, surely it would have been best kept to ones self to bring out at a later date, after all the brains behind the operation are active participants on this site and contribute their time and expertise to help us learn.
Perhaps I am off base with these comments but lets allow praise where it is due.

Cape Wickham is the real deal NOW and many years from now.
Quality golf course on a spectacular site.

[Ash Towe]

Well said Michael, your comments are on the mark.


I am currently on King Island and will play my third round at Cape Wickham tomorrow.

[Mike_DeVries]

Mike,
Is there as much tilt front to back on the 14th green as appears in the photo? The course looks terrific.

John,

As noted by James, the 14th is a punchbowl, with a lower punchbowl hollow to the left of the putting surface, so an overcooked shot can run across the green and off but you still have a number of options for recovery from there.  The bunker at the back right won't get a lot of play but does help serve as a marker to golfers with limited visibility to the target.  The 14th is a big, wide hole and the punter can doddle along with his third bounding down to the putting surface for a try at par - very fun with its big contours and the lighthouse in the distance, above the horizon of the ridge past the green.

Cheers,
Mike

[Mike_DeVries]

Well said Michael, your comments are on the mark.


I am currently on King Island and will play my third round at Cape Wickham tomorrow.

Ash,

I am very jealous . . . look forward to your own comments, particularly the moments you remember right away but also how they might change with time as you mull them over.

Cheers,
Mike

PS  Eat some beef and cheese for me, will ya?!?

[Jon Wiggett]

Josh, What a load of bollocks and hogwash when you write,

The greatest amount of insularity that I come across is when I return to the British Isles and am inundated with parochial views

Colin,

mmmm, nice shot across the bows Colin but I don't think Josh is British or at least not by his writing style anyway.

Jon

[James Bennett]

Mike

I have never seen such relaxed cows as those on King Island.
I understand you made the same observation.

Also, I used the 'beef and cheese' comparison (two of King Island's great products) to describe Cape Wickham and Ocean Dunes.  It is like comparing beef and cheese - very different products, both can be first-class in their own style. Some people love cheese more than beef, others beef more than cheese.  It is very hard to compare the quality of King Island produce when they are so different.

Also, re 14, it is amazing how different the options/strategy is depending on the wind.  Down wind, you aim to carry bunkers and get somewhere with a view of the pin in the punchbowl. Very hard to get near the pin. Into the wind, and a running long second into the punchbowl direction is required, and not as difficult to get near the green as you might think.

[Ash Towe]

Mike,


Turning left at the lighthouse really increased the anticipation of the round to come. Arriving at clubhouse (tent) and seeing 1 and 18 confirmed that I was in for a great experience.
My first round was played in perfect conditions with little wind. I could not take my eyes off the views. I was also hugely impressed with the turf conditions. It was also a good learning experience in finding my way around.
The second round was played the following day again in near perfect conditions. I enjoyed the inland holes on the first 9 particularly 6 and 8. I did not figure out the best way to play 9. 10 through 13 were very enjoyable and had plenty of variety. The final five hole loop was a fitting climax to the round.
The last round was played 2 days later again in excellent conditions with a decent wind. This confirmed the need for the width of the fairways. Also the need to select the correct line off the tee so you could get a good angle into greens. It was the most enjoyable of the three rounds.
In future rounds, fingers crossed,more thought by me needs to be given to lines off the tee and angles into greens.
Cape Wickham is a wonderful experience and well worth the effort to getting there.
The steaks at the golf club in Currie were also memorable.

[Scott Warren]

Ash,

I'm pleased to read that your back has not yet stopped you playing. Great news.

[Ash Towe]

Scott,


Thanks for that. Not playing to the same level, just happy to get out there.